No Shots, No Drills, No Kidding!
The thought of visiting a dentist to get a cavity filled or for a root canal has always been associated with tension. With new technologies, people no longer have to fear dental care. Thankfully, with laser treatment, there is less discomfort, even during cleanings, and the laser beam completely destroys the bacteria that causes dental decay and other gum diseases.
Laser dentistry is ideal for any age. It is great for children due to the reduced need for anesthesia and shortened chair time. Children feel something similar to an “ice cream freeze” on their tooth. Adults rarely need to be numb, allowing them to go back to their daily routine without a fat lip or drooling! Those that have dreaded a dental appointment most of their lives can now experience much less discomfort.
Traditional dentistry relies on the dental drill, which produces heat and vibration, a combination that is stressful
to both the tooth and the patient. Conversely, the dental lasers we use are a concentrated beam of light energy instead of heat and vibration to achieve the desired results. A laser effectively removes and sculpts hard or soft tissue in the mouth while simultaneously sterilizing the area and cauterizing the blood vessels.
Dr. Colonna’s office utilizes a full compliment of state of the art technology to diagnose and treat each patient more efficiently. Aside from lasers, Dr. Colonna uses a dental operating microscope and a Cerec, which is a CAD/CAM system that provides minimally invasive restorations that mimic the patient’s natural biology. This technology eliminates temporary restorations and provides patients with their crowns, veneers, and other fixed prosthetics in a single appointment. He also uses a Tekscan, which is a computer assisted bite analysis system that quantifies whether a patient’s bite is balanced. This helps to diagnose and treat things like TMJ and chronic headaches.
Lasers offer many advantages over traditional dental drills, all of which significantly increase patient comfort
and enhance the accuracy of the doctor’s work. Dental lasers can:
- Reduce and in some cases completely eliminate the need for anesthetic
- Minimize bleeding by cauterizing blood vessels
- Control swelling
- Sterilize the work area
- Reduce post-operative pain
- Shorten healing period
- Allow dentist to conservatively remove hard and soft tissue, removing only what is necessary and preserving more of the tooth’s original structural integrity.
- Result in faster procedures and less chair time
- Reduces stress and anxiety of patient
Lasers are versatile dental tools that are extremely effective for both general and cosmetic dentistry. Dr. Mark Colonna utilizes laser technology for the following dental procedures:
- Cavity detection with DIAGNOdent® laser
- Decay removal
- Cavity prep
- Crowns
- Veneers
- Root canal therapy
- Gum re-contouring
- Periodontal therapy
- And many more!
Dr. Colonna has been on the cutting edge of laser development and pioneering new laser techniques for over 8 years. He lectures and teaches both in the U.S. and internationally to educate professionals on the benefits of laser use. He is also an adjunct Professor at Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, as well as a member of the Board of Dentistry for the State of Montana since 2006.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Colonna’s office at:
The Montana Center for Laser
Dentistry
Dr. Mark Colonna, DDS
6516 Highway 93 S
Whitefish, MT 59937
406-862-1010
